Paterson teen nabbed with handgun on North 10th Street, police say

A city boy was arrested on weapon possession charges after leading police on a brief chase through North 10th Street on Wednesday afternoon, according to public safety director Jerry Speziale.

Police said the boy, 17-year-old, was among a large group that gathered at the entrance of a residence on North 10 Street and Belmont Avenue at around 5:30 p.m. As detectives exited their vehicles to disperse the crowd, the boy tried to walk away from the scene.

The boy began running east on North 10th Street with police behind him. He continued fleeing onto Burhans Avenue, where he removed a semi-automatic handgun from his waist and dropped it on the ground.

Detectives recovered the weapon and arrested the boy outside 142 Belmont Avenue. Police determined the loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun was stolen out of Colorado. The boy was charged with juvenile delinquency alleging weapons offenses and possession of a stolen firearm. He is being held at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center.